Thursday, January 24, 2008

Buried at the bottom of today's announcement is this ringing endorsement from the UK government's minister of state for trade and investment, Lord Digby Jones:

"I am delighted that LinkedIn has made the UK its European location of choice. The UK is the global hub for business.

"Technology companies such as this can become global players using the network of financial and business connections that London provides.

"Innovative companies of every description can invest here confident of a well educated and savvy workforce and great connections to the rest of Europe as well as the rest of the world."

Apparently LinkedIn "worked closely with UK Trade & Investment and its regional partner, Think London, in sitting its new European headquarters".

So here's the lesson for prospective online travel companies: when deciding whether to start a business or not, consult a quango or government department and get a nice message in your launch material.

Double-edged sword perhaps considering where the UK government currently sits is in the polls?